The media and crime
CRIM 100
Creepy clowns
Reports of clown sightings
By the end of this lecture you will be able to answer the following questions:
What are the main criminological perspectives regarding crime in the media?
How can crime in the media lead to moral panics?
Does the media potray offenders, victims, and the police a certain way?
What are the main criminological perspectives regarding crime in the media?
The media?
Ban of evil content
Media effects
Effect or influence that results from the exposure to media content.
Evolution of criminological perspective on crime in the media
Who would get in an elevator with late at night?
Who would get in an elevator with late at night?
Cultural criminology
How can crime in the media lead to moral panics?
Creating stories
The production of crime news
Moral panics
Moral panics
Stanley Cohen
Wrote “Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Origins of the Mods and Rockers”
Popularized the term
Identified crucial role of the media
The media as moral entrepreneurs
Models of moral panics
Criminalization and decriminalization
Does the media potray offenders, victims, and the police a certain way?
Bad guys
Portrayal of bad guys includes
Stereotyping (ethnic, racial, young offenders, female, etc.)
Conveyed as “other”
Victims
Portrayal of victims includes:
Features of the ideal victim
Weak
Going about routine
Blameless
Unrelated to offender
Submissive position
Power/empathy: victim status
Good guys
Portrayal of good guys includes
Conveying the police as heroes
Hiding the darker side of policing
Projecting a false sense of effectiveness
Important content
Key concepts and terms
The media
Critical thinking
Media effects
Cultural criminology
Active audiences
Problem frame
Moral panics
Folk devils
Moral entrepreneurs
Stereotyping
Ideal victims